Chris Ellis
|birthplace = Memphis, Tennessee |family = |yearsactive = 1979-present }} Chris Ellis is an American actor best known for his portrayal of astronaut Deke Slayton on Apollo 13. Biography Ellis was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 14, 1951, and grew up in the suburb of Frayser in a middle class and working class area. Despite his aspirations to become an actor, he finished college after seven years due to indecisiveness. During those years, Ellis became involved in the local community theatre. His first actual acting role was as a truck driver in the made-for-TV movie The Suicide's Wife, but he did not find work for the next ten years. In 1990, he got a big break when he landed a role in Days of Thunder. This was followed by roles in My Cousin Vinny, Addams Family Values, and Apollo 13. Ellis also began starring on TV shows such as Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, and The X-Files. After working with Tom Hanks on Apollo 13, the two partnered up again on That Thing You Do, the television miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, and Catch Me If You Can. Eventually, Ellis returned to a fictional NASA Mission Control role when he played a flight director in the 1998 disaster film Armageddon. Additional credits in his acting career include the films Bean: The Movie, Home Fries, Jessabelle, Gospel Hill, October Sky, Live Free or Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers. His television credits include The West Wing, Ghost Whisperer, Chicago Hope, The Pretender, Alias, JAG, CSI: NY, Burn Notice, Cold Case, Veronica Mars, and Political Animals. Ellis guest-starred in an episode of the CBS-produced police procedural series Criminal Minds, playing Sheriff Jimmy Rhodes. On Criminal Minds Ellis portrayed Sheriff Jimmy Rhodes in the Season One episode "The Tribe". Filmography *Amelia 2.0 (2017) - Senator Thaddeus *Pitching Tents (2017) - Principal Don Bishop *The Show (2017) - Keller *Hand of God (2017) - Principal Matt Wasser *Trigger (2016) - Patrick *K.C. Undercover - 2 episodes (2015) - Christos *Murder in the First - 6 episodes (2015) - Judge Mitchell Ellis *Mad Men (2015) - Del Hill *McFarland, USA (2015) - Coach Jenks (credited as Chris Ellis Jr.) *Jessabelle (2014) - Sheriff Pruitt *Sequestered - 12 episodes (2014) - Ron Pritchard *Legit (2014) - Captain Chambliss *Faults (2014) - Dad *The Guest (2014) - Hendricks *Grace Unplugged (2013) - Pastor Tim Bryant *Warehouse 13 (2013) - Colonel Arnold Cassell *Political Animals (2012) - Jubal Jacobs *The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - Father Reilly *The Finder (2012) - Warden Nick Larsen *Harry's Law (2011) - Unknown Character *In Plain Sight (2011) - Reidell *Law & Order: LA (2011) - District Attorney Walter Exley *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2011) - Warden Clinton Malton *Fairly Legal (2011) - Maddox Resor *The Mentalist (2010) - Sheriff Mullery *The Good Guys (2010) - Beau Teague *Zeke and Luther (2010) - Buzz *Justified (2010) - Douglas Cooper *The Office (2009) - Chris O'Keefe *Teenage Dirtbag (2009) - Pops *G-Force (2009) - FBI Director (credited as Chris Ellis Jr.) *Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - 2 episodes (2009) - Hayes *Knight Rider (2009) - Phil Driscoll *Cold Case (2008) - Jim Horn *Gospel Hill (2008) - L. Donn Murray *Burn Notice - 2 episodes (2007-2008) - Virgil Watkins *Crazy (2008) - Glen the Carousel Manager (uncredited) *The Third Nail (2007) - Colonel Reeves *The Unit - 2 episodes (2006-2007) - Congressman Bruce Gelber *Live Free or Die Hard (2007) - NYPD Captain Jack Scalvino (credited as Chris Ellis Jr.) *Transformers (2007) - Admiral Brigham *The Memory Thief (2007) - Mr. DeSilva *Veronica Mars (2007) - Reverend Ted Capistrano *Las Vegas (2007) - Doctor Sassen *Vanished (2006) - Shelton *Ghost Whisperer - 2 episodes (2006) - Captain Ken Nilsen *The West Wing (2006) - Congressman Fields *Criminal Minds - "The Tribe" (2006) TV episode - Sheriff Jimmy Rhodes *Believe in Me (2006) - Jim Stovall *The Darkroom (2006) - Jackson *Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) - Vice President of the Grand Cayman Bank *Death to the Supermodels (2005) - Ed *Silver Bells (2005) - Doctor (uncredited) *CSI: NY (2005) - Vincent Williams *Sissy Frenchfry (2005) - Willinger McDodey *The Devil's Rejects (2005) - Coggs *The Island (2005) - Aces & Spades Bartender *Revelations (2005) - Mr. Beaudrey *NCIS - 2 episodes (2003-2004) - Gunnery Sergeant John Deluca *Tiger Cruise (2004) - Captain Anderson *Helter Skelter (2004) - Sergeant Whiteley *Death and Texas (2004) - Phillip Brodeur *In Enemy Hands (2004) - Captain Samuel Littleton *Line of Fire (2004) - Vigs *JAG (2004) - Detective Kush *Wonderland (2003) - Captain Nimziki *Lucky (2003) - Unknown Character *The Bus Stops Here (2003) - Self-Centered Man at Bus Stop *My Dinner with Jimi (2003) - Sergeant *Catch Me If You Can (2002) - Special Agent Witkins *Alias (2002) - Agent Chapman *The Practice (2002) - Mr. Blain *Birds of Prey - 2 episodes (2002) - Larry Ketterly *Six Feet Under (2002) - Construction Worker #2 *First Monday (2002) - Mr. Patton *Love Liza (2002) - Patriot Model Aeronautics Clerk *Beyond the City Limits (2001) - Detective Hanson *Domestic Disturbance (2001) - Detective Warren *Planet of the Apes (2001) - Commander Karl Vasich *Daddy and Them (2001) - Dewey *Diagnosis Murder (2001) - Leonard Wilson *Roswell (2000) - T. Greer *Family Law (2000) - Mr. Reese *The Watcher (2000) - Hollis *Harsh Realm (2000) - Jasper McKinley *The Last Marshal (1999) - O'Brien *Arli$$ - 2 episodes (1996-1999) - Maynard Dupree/Henneman *Atomic Train - 2 episodes (1999) - Ed Brown *October Sky (1999) - Principal Turner *Max Q (1998) - Bob Matthews *Promised Land (1998) - Brian Pascal *Home Fries (1998) - Henry Lever *Armageddon (1998) - Flight Director Walter Clark *Godzilla (1998) - General Anderson *From the Earth to the Moon (1998) - Bob Parker *The Pentagon Wars (1998) - General Keane *Wag the Dog (1997) - Officer *Sparkler (1997) - Buddy #1 *On the Line (1997) - Officer Roux *Bean (1997) - Detective Butler *Con Air (1997) - B.O.P. Official Grant *Chicago Hope (1997) - Secret Service Agent Bill Erskine *The Pretender (1997) - Daniel Crockett *Millennium - 3 episodes (1996) - Jim Penseyres *Her Costly Affair (1996) - Wes *That Thing You Do! (1996) - Phil Horace *If These Walls Could Talk (1996) - Crowd Leader *Sticks & Stones (1996) - Coach Osterman *Space: Above and Beyond (1996) - Admiral Stenner *The X-Files (1996) - Sheriff Lance Hindt *Innocent Victims (1996) - Alan Hallis *Murder One (1996) - Mr. Switzer *The Tie That Binds (1995) - Security Guard #1 *Apollo 13 (1995) - Deke Slayton *Crimson Tide (1995) - Additional Magician *A Little Princess (1995) - Policeman *In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance (1994) - News Vendor *Ghost in the Machine (1993) - Lieutenant *Addams Family Values (1993) - Moving Man *NYPD Blue - 2 episodes (1993) - Marshal *Melrose Place (1993) - Cop *Undercover Blues (1993) - Burt *Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story (1993) - Unknown Character *My Cousin Vinny (1992) - J.T. *Days of Thunder (1990) - Harlem Hoogerhyde *Mylène Farmer: Pourvu qu'elles soient douces (Libertine II) (1989) - William *Chiefs (1983) - Bobby Patrick *Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (1982) - Clown *The Suicide's Wife (1979) - Truck Driver 'LINKS' For an up-to-date filmography, see here. Category:Real People Category:Actors